Fireman&#39;s coat clasp



1964 J. A. BREWER FIREMANS COAT CLASP Filed July 26, 1962 INVENTOR.

W WM fameyx United States Patent Ofice w Patented Dec. 8, 1964 3,159,391a V FREMANS CfiAT CLASP Hess A. Brewer, 7% Garfield Bird, Danviiie,Filed .i'niy 25, 1962, fier. No. 212,618

2 Ciaims. (Qt. 24-225} The present invention relates to improvements inprotective garment fasteners, with particular attention being given tothe safety of the wearer of a garment so equipped.

Firemen and rescue workers represent a class of persons who often wear aprotective garment such, for.

example, as a heat and water resistant coat, or comparable clothingcarried on or about the body.. It is incumbent on such individuals thatthey be prepared for any eventuality, and in order to perform theirduties they must be relatively free from accident prone equipment abouttheir persons. For example, the rather conventional spring biased-typehook and eye arrangement often found on protective clothing, such as afiremans coat, comprises an unexpected yet very real source of danger.Such fasteners are used because they are both simple and quick inoperation-an attribute which is certainly necessary. However, experiencewith such fasteners has indicatedthat danger is involved in theiruse. Inactual instances of record, firemen, in the exercise of their duties,have actually become hooked on various ob jects with'which they havedeliberately or accidentally come in contact. It will be apparent thatsuch occurrences not only delay the individual in the performance of hisduty on which both lives and property depend, but may pose a danger tohis own life.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fastener for aprotective garment which is free ofthe safety hazards involved in theuse of conventional fasteners.

It is a related object to accomplish the above without sacrifice to theease and speed required in theuse of such fasteners.

The invention comprises the novel construction, arrangements, anddevices to be herein described and claimed for carrying out theabove-stated objects and such other objects as will be apparent from-thefollowing description of certain preferred forms of the inventionillustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the present inventionmounted on a'closed garment;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the fastener shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment in substantially the sameposition as that of FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 is a side elevation of thefastener of FIG. 3.

While the invention is susceptible of various. modifications andalternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments have beenshown in the drawings and will be described below in considerabledetail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention tolimit the invention to the specific forms disclosed. On the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention asexpressed in the appended claims.

Referring particularly to the drawing, there is shown an exemplaryembodiment of the invention as applied to a fabric garment, such as aprotective outer coat for a fireman. The garment is equipped with theimproved closures which are of the spring-loaded hook and eye havingright and left-handpanels 11 and 12, respectively,

which are adapted to be closed about the wearer. Secured to theright-hand panel 11 of the garment 10 is a closed ring which is hereillustrated for convenience as D ring 13. conventionally, the garmentmounts a plurality of these rings arranged in vertically spaced rela}tion and in a column or row along the panel 11. Each of the D ringslficomprises a D-shaped closed loop which is conveniently formed with atab 14 extending from the straight side portion-of the loop. Apertures15 are provided in the tab which receive rivets 16 for securing the sameto the garment.

In keeping with the present invention, a corresponding number of novelclosed-hook clasps, indicated generally at l7, are mounted ontheleft-hand panel 12 of the garment so as to be aligned with the Drings 13 opposite them. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, there is aclasp 17 having a relatively Wide fiat base 19 having suitably disposedapertures 20 for the receipt of rivets 21 by which the clasp is securedto the garment. It will be appreciated that the particular manner ofsecuring both the D rings and clasps is a matter of cone venienceincidental to the novel features of the invention.

The base supports an upstanding transverse mounting bracket 22 which maybe conveniently formed integrally with the base as a single casting. Thebracket is adapted to support a hook element for receiving an associatedD ring. Thus, a shaped member 24 is provided which is convenientlyformed as a casting, and comprises apex of the mounting bracket 22, andthe two are joined by a pin 32. The pin is pressed through eitherapertures 29 or aperture 31 while permitting some clearance with theother, thus providing the hook 24 a degree of rotational freedomrelative to the base and transverse to the plane thereof.

With the hook mounted in this fashion, it is a feature of the presentinvention that an opening is provided which is protected fromundesirable contacts with, foreign objects. The opening-which extendsfrom the end of the hook 24 to the base 19 supporting the mountingbracket 22, is adjacent the coat panel to which it is mounted and is,therefore, afforded considerableprotection by the coat itself. This iscontrasted [to more conventional clasps having openings outwardlydisposed. Also, by. virtue of the hook element construction, the openingis disposed inwardly of the edge of the coat panel, thus adding to' thesafety of the'device.

In order to provide asubstantially closed-loop, a closure element isprovided which spans the opening defined by the hook mounted with thebase. In the present instance, the closure element is in the form of atongue 35. The tongue 35 is adapted to engage and overlap the end of thehook member, and, in the practice of the.

invention, thev hook member 24 and tongue 35 are re- 'ardly to engagethe end of the hook 24 at a point 37. As previously indicated withrespect to this emboditent, the hook member is rotatable on the pin 32with- :spect to the mounting bracket 22, and in order to rovide anormallyclosed relation between hook and mg'ue, a spring 39 is provided.The spring 39 comprises relatively narrow stripof resilient metal, suchas spring :eel, which is adapted to be deformed to provide a prin'gforce. In order to accommodate the spring 39, a ocket 41 is formed inthe mounting end 26 of the hook 4. An associated pocket 42 is formed inthe mounting racket 22. The pockets 41 and 42 form a single springousing when the hook is mounted on the bracket. he spring 39 ispositioned in the housing by deforming flexed about the pin 32 so thatone end bears against 1e hook 24 and the other against the mountingbracket 2-2, nd by virtue of its tendency to straighten out or return tos relaxed position, it exerts a force which urges the ooked member 24about the pivot pin 32 ina clockwise irection with respect to themounting flange 22(seeri est in FIG. 2). However, actual rotation inthat direcon is prevented by the curved end of the hook, which verlapsthe tongue 35, aspreviously indicated, and bears gainst the underside ofit. The important effect of the Thus, 1 one exemplary embodiment of theinvention shown in 168. l and 2, the tongue 35 is formed integrally with1e base member 19 and extends outwardly and up iring is to resistmovement of the tip of the curved end l a counterclockwise directionaway from the tongue and 1118 resiliently. bias the clasp into itsnormally closed osition, as shown.

It will now be apparent that when it is desired to fasten 1e garmentabout the wearer, it is easily accomplished y closing the panels of thegarment and moving the D ng 13 intoa position approximately 'at thecontact point 7, which is disposed well inwardly of the outward edge fthe hook 24. A downward pressure is then applied it the shank 27 of thehook 24' against the action of the pring .39. Thus, the hook is urgedcounterclockwise bout the pin 32, and the tip of the hook and the tongue5 are separated. The D ring 13 is slipped over the tip t the hook24,after which the applied pressure is re- :ased, permittingthe tongueand tip to reengage to form closed loop so as to secure the D ringwithin the clasp. he garment is likewise quickly and easily unfastened ymerely urging the D ring downward and inward along to hook curvedportion 28 and towards the contact point 7. The bias of the spring 39 isovercome by the down- 'ard force on the hook, and the D ringcan'be'freed from 1e clasp by moving it under the tongue and past theantact point. The end portion of the tongue and hook nd portion 28diverge away from the contact point 37 as to present cam means forcooperation with the D Lng 13, so that the clasp maybe unfastenedwithease. 1 is to be noted, however, that such movement of the D ngwould not occur involuntarily during the wearing of 1e coat, and must bedeliberately caused so that there is o danger of the coats becominginadvertently unfastened hen in use.

Another embodiment of the invention'is shown in FIGS. and 4. In theseviews, a clasp is shown in which a 00k 43 and base 44 are integrallyformed, and anassocited tongue 45 is separately fashioned and ismovablewith aspect thereto, as compared to the first embodimenthereibefore described, wherein thetongue 35 and base 19 etc formedintegrally, and the hook 24 separately. In 1e present embodiment, thehook 43 embodiesthe same eneral configuration as that illustrated inFIG. ll In this arm, the hook is raised or stilted above the base byleans of spaced legs 46. A transverse aperture 47 passes ll'Ollgh thelegs 46, and a springpocket 48'is formed beaveen these legs. A tongue 45is provided with an enlarged mounting end 50 having a transverseaperture 52 in the manner of the FIG. 1 embodiment. The mounting end- 50is sufliciently narrow to be freely received between the legs 46 of thehook. Upon assembly, the apertures 47 and 52 are aligned and atransverse pivot pin 54 is inserted to join the tongue and hook. Abiasing spring 55 is provided for normally urging the tongue 45 intocontact with the tip of the curved end of the hook. In order tofacilitate movement of the tongue 45 to open the clasp, finger tabs 57are disposed transversely on either side thereof and extend outwardlybeyond the sides of the hook for easy access. The tongue is moved bymerely lifting on the tabs 57.

Thus, it is seen that a safety clasp embodying the features of theinvention as described can be provided in which either the tongue or thehook may be held stationary relative to the garment while the otherelement of the clasp is movable with respect thereto. In either form ofclasp, the hook and tongue opening is disposed opposite and immediatelyadjacent thesurfiace of the garment.

Thus, the opening is protected against accidentalentry a relativelywidefiat base having inner and outer faces,

said inner face'having afiat unobstructed surface disposed a plane;

a flexible panel attached to said inner face of said base;

a hook;

a tongue;

means for mounting said hook and said tongue on said outer face of saidbase for limited movement with respect to one another;

said flexible panel covering said inner face and normally extendingbeyond said base, hook, and tongue;

said hook including a mounting portion attached to said outer face andextending outwardly from said outer face for a substantial distance, ashank portion integral with said mounting portion of said hook andextending substantially parallel to said base, and an end portion ofsaid hook integral with said shank portion thereof and extendinginitially towards and substantially to the plane of said inner face ofsaid base and finally extending towards but terminating short of saidmounting portion of said hook, whereby said hook is in the form of aloop having an open space between said end portion and said mountingportion of said hook;

said tongue extending from said outer face ofsaid base to a point withinsaid open loop formed by said hook' and substantially beyond theterminal end of said hook, said tongue having a portion thereof normallyin contact withthe end portion'of said" hook to close the open space ofsaid loop;

means to bias the end portion ofsaid hook and said tongue against oneanother to keep said clasp normally closed; and

said tongue and said hook end portion diverging away from said portionof normal contact to form cam means within said loop, said cam meansadapted to cooperate with the closed ring to force said tongue and saidhook out of normal contact against said bias means to open said claspwhen the, closed ring is moved from Within said loop to and beyond saidportion of normal contact.

2. A safety clasp, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said hook mounting portion is rigidly attached to said outer face ofsaid base; and

wherein said tongue is provided with transversely dis- References Citedin the file of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Eberle May 11, 1875Hames Apr. 16, 1878 Dalton Dec. 1, 1885 Schappa Oct. 15, 1895 10 6Cameron Aug. 28, 1900 Barker Aug. 17, 1909 Jogan Dec. 5, 1911 HershowityAug. 19, 1947 Hoffman Sept. 13, 1955 Allen May 8, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTSFrance Aug. 25, 1911 France .Feb.-24, 1954

1. A SAFETY CLASP, FOR ATTACHMENT TO ONE CLOSURE PANEL OF A GARMENT ANDFOR COOPERATION WITH A CLOSED RING MOUNTED ON THE OTHER CLOSURE PANEL OFTHE GARMENT, COMPRISING: A RELATIVELY WIDE FLAT BASE HAVING INNER ANDOUTER FACES, SAID INNER FACE HAVING A FLAT UNOBSTRUCTED SURFACE DISPOSEDIN A PLANE; A FLEXIBLE PANEL ATTACHED TO SAID INNER FACE OF SAID BASE; AHOOK; A TONGUE; MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID HOOK AND SAID TONGUE ON SAIDOUTER FACE OF SAID BASE FOR LIMITED MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO ONEANOTHER; SAID FLEXIBLE PANEL COVERING SAID INNER FACE AND NORMALLYEXTENDING BEYOND SAID BASE, HOOK, AND TONGUE; SAID HOOK INCLUDING AMOUNTING PORTION ATTACHED TO SAID OUTER FACE AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLYFROM SAID OUTER FACE FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE, A SHANK PORTIONINTEGRAL WITH SAID MOUNTING PORTION OF SAID HOOK AND EXTENDINGSUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID BASE, AND AN END PORTION OF SAID MOUNTINGPORTION OF SAID HOOK AND PORTION THEREOF AND EXTENDING INITIALLY TOWARDSAND SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE PLANE OF SAID INNER FACE OF SAID BASE ANDFINALLY EXTENDING TOWARDS BUT TERMINATING SHORT OF SAID MOUNTING PORTIONOF SAID HOOK, WHEREBY SAID HOOK IS IN THE FORM OF A LOOP HAVING AN OPENSPACE BETWEEN SAID END PORTION AND SAID MOUNTING PORTION OF SAID HOOK;SAID TONGUE EXTENDING FROM SAID OUTER FACE OF SAID BASE TO A POINTWITHIN SAID OPEN LOOP FORMED BY SAID HOOK AND SUBSTANTIALLY BEYOND THETERMINAL END OF SAID HOOK, SAID TONGUE HAVING A PORTION THEREOF NORMALLYIN CONTACT WITH THE END PORTION OF SAID HOOK TO CLOSE THE OPEN SPACE OFSAID LOOP; MEANS TO BIAS THE END PORTION OF SAID HOOK AND SAID TONGUEAGAINST ONE ANOTHER TO KEEP SAID CLASP NORMALLY CLOSED; AND SAID TONGUEAND SAID HOOK END PORTION DIVERGING AWAY FROM SAID PORTION OF NORMALCONTACT TO FORM CAM MEANS WITHIN SAID LOOP, SAID CAM MEANS ADAPTED TOCOOPERATE WITH THE CLOSED RING TO FORCE SAID TONGUE AND SAID HOOK OUT OFNORMAL CONTACT AGAINST SAID BIAS MEANS TO OPEN SAID CLASP WHEN THECLOSED RING IS MOVED FROM WITHIN SAID LOOP TO AND BEYOND SAID PORTION OFNORMAL CONTACT.